Getting Started

Hi,

If you haven't already, read John Mark's Fifth Element columns in Stereophile over the last 18 months or so on his search for a music lover's system in or around the price range you are considering (easy to find on the website). I can vouch for his advice, because he helped me buy my first system when I was a newbie five years back, and all his recommendations were on the mark,

Good luck,

David

I will do so. Thanks!

I figured though in terms of bang for the buck, the overall feature story outweighed the usual suspects in the int. category. HP amp, DAC, iPod dock (with lower powered Decco), sub out, pre & amp flexibility... etc.

Since the OP is looking for an amp + speaker combo, I would advise to focus on getting the best for the $ rather than trying to add more bells and whistles to the request. Upgrade the front end at a later date - the speaker>amp interface is best addressed together.

My impressions of the Decco at one of the RMAF shows were not that it was a bad piece, per se, just that as an amp it lacked some punch and dynamics, and was certainly not the last word in imaging or low level definition and control. Overall it sounded pretty nice with Era Design speakers, but wouldn't be my choice of an amp - you could do much better with a separate amp + DAC IMO. OTOH the DAC was very resolving and musical without any typical digital gremlins. My (audiophile) friend assisted his friend in buying a system right around the price range the OP is asking about. They went around and listened to a handful of options including the Nova, which I think the guy actually bought in spite of my friends advice that he could do better buying a separate amp. I think the Peachtrees actually offers a digital output or a pre out if I'm not mistaken - I have another friend who told me he was very impressed hearing the Maggie 1.7's at a recent show (Music Matters - Definitive, Seattle). He reported they were being pushed by a Decco, which I found astonishing and asked him if he was sure about that. He clarified that the Decco was outputting the signal to, I think a Rotel amp at 100wpc. So obviously they liked the Decco's DAC but not the amp for pushing the Maggies (understandable given the demands of those speakers). For a limited budget, and to save on shelf-space, it's a pretty good deal. But none of that was a concern of the OP so I'd suggest optimizing the amp investment myself. Certainly if he's using a computer or a blu-ray player as a front end (BDP-93SE notwithstanding), there's probably a whole lot of room for improvement in that front end too, which would be a pretty good argument for a Peachtree - but I'd bet long term satisfaction might be lacking in the amp section. Blindjim - If you're thinking of using one for a HP amp; I can't say I have direct experience with the HP section of the PT offerings, but I will guess, based on experience, that you can do a whole lot better with a good dedicated HP amp. "Compromise" is definitely not a word I like to use often in my vocabulary, as you might have guessed.

Jacks2

Agreed.

I've little exp with ints per se, and always went the bang for the buck reciever way, and added amps and so forth as time passed, then trickled down the appliance to some other room or person.

Also the overall cost or budget indicates that 'C' word too and felt the orig post was for a more temporal solution, or about a year. hence my idea on the old standby BFB theory I'm predisposed to begin with for myself as a rule.

Well with which ever, lot o luck and may it all be good.

Badmoth,

You can put together a great sounding amp/speaker combo purchased new for $2k as a place to start. I would look around a little bit and then just take the plunge. As you listen, learn and look around, you will get a better idea what your tastes are and what systems and gear people are listening to that is most likely to suite your taste. Then you can upgrade later if you get the itch.

I agree with much of the advice above - for classic rock you typically don't need the absolute lowest lows, but you do need adequate scale and volume without adding distortion. This does tend to favor larger floor standers and enough amplifier current to handle dynamic swings. I always say the hardest music to recreate convincingly at home is hard rock or a full orchestra.

No matter what you do, leave some money for decent interconnects and speaker cables. Reasonable wires are available from Internet dealers like Blue Jeans Cable, Signal Cable, while Auvio brand interconnects available from Radio Shack are actually quite good and Supra speaker cables from Sjofn HiFi also get rave reviews and are really cheap.

Here are my suggestions for amp speaker combinations:

-The all Rega system as suggested above with the RS5 speakers - perhaps look for used if over budget new

-NAD/PSB Image T65 as suggested (go with the bigger C-355BEE amp, or I would even suggest the C-375BEE which is 150W per channel and destined to become an audio classic)

-Cambridge Audio Azur 650A integrated amplifier and Paradigm Monitor Series v.6 model 9 floor standing speakers. This combination is guaranteed to sound at least as good as the NAD/PSB combination. The new Paradigm Monitor Series v.6 speakers are a revelation in this price range.

-Here is a somewhat unconventional set up, but I heard this combination recently and it sounded really good. NAD C-326BEE or Cambridge 550A integrated amplifiers and Vandersteen Model 1c speakers. This will provide a different and more open sound than the PSB or Paradigms, not quite as brilliant on top or forceful down low, but because of the recording style and quality of classic rock albums, the slightly warm and open delivery should work very well. Great speaker for jazz and vocals too. You can get away with less power with these speakers because they are relatively efficient (90db). I even heard the Vandersteen's driven by NAD's little C-315BEE and their higher end C-365BEE CD player and the system sounded great.

I am a big fan of the Cambridge and NAD amps and CD players. The NAD house sound is a little more laid back than the Cambridge which is a touch more lively and forward, although both are ridiculously good for the money. The same general rule applies to the CD players although here I slightly prefer the Cambridge models do to their incredible ability to suck information off your disks. Good physical set up with appropriate isolation from room vibration and the right interconnects and you will be amazed.